Information and commentary about the struggle for democracy in the African kingdom of Swaziland

Friday, August 23, 2013

ELECTION GRINDS TO A HALT

Thousands of people were reportedly turned back from polling
stations in Swaziland as the kingdom’s primary elections ground to a halt on
Thursday (22 August 2013).

The kingdom’s Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC)
had arranged a special day of voting for its own staff and security forces personnel.

All the polling stations to serve the whole kingdom were
allocated in the city of Manzini, but many had no ballot papers.

As many as 7,000 people had been expected to vote.
Election officers told waiting crowds to return on Friday.

The Times of
Swaziland, the only independent daily newspaper in the kingdom, reported, ‘The
voting took place in Manzini where staff from all the regions had been
allocated different polling stations. However, only a handful were able to cast
their votes.’

It added, ‘The [EBC] had announced that the voting
process would start at 2pm, but hundreds had started flocking in at the stated
centres as early as 10am from all over the country. They queued for eight hours
and they were told to go back home at about 6pm.

‘First, the process was delayed for over an hour and upon commencement, there was
pushing and shoving as the voters tried to get into the voting room in order to
return home on time.The delay, some officials alleged, had been caused by the
fact that some presiding officers, who were supposed to conduct the voting, had
not arrived and there were no ballot papers in quite a number of the stations.’

The EBC employed about 4 000 Swazis as elections
officers, returning officers, presiding officers and clerks. Members of the
Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force, that employs about 3,000 officers, the Royal
Swaziland Police and His Majesty’s Correctional Services were among those who
had been called to vote, the newspaper reported.

The EBC later confirmed there was a shortage of voting
material at polling stations.

The primary election for ordinary Swazi people is due to
take place on Saturday (24 August 2013).